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10 Affordable American Beach Towns!
What’s your favorite American beach? We’ve obsessed over that topic for weeks to deliver the tastiest waves, loveliest sand, and balmiest breezes from New England to Hawaii. But of course we couldn’t stop there: Each of these 10 must-see beaches comes with a great hotel pick that won’t break the bank! Happy summer!
Budget TravelThursday, Jul 3, 2014, 10:00 AMSiesta Key, FL, about 20 minutes from Sarasota, rolls out the whitest and coolest sand you've ever seen. Stay a short drive away at the Best Western Plus Siesta Key, from $99/night. (Courtesy Visit Sarasota County)Budget Travel LLC, 2016

VACATION IDEAS

10 Affordable American Beach Towns!

What’s your favorite American beach? We’ve obsessed over that topic for weeks to deliver the tastiest waves, loveliest sand, and balmiest breezes from New England to Hawaii. But of course we couldn’t stop there: Each of these 10 must-see beaches comes with a great hotel pick that won’t break the bank! Happy summer!

Oahu's North Shore, HI, has incredible waves in a perfect climate. If you're feeling brave, take a surfing lesson! Stay at nearby Punaluu Beach Cottage, from $125/night.

(Whitney Tressel)

If you can ever tear yourself away from the beautiful waves, the North Shore is a bit of a low-key foodie mecca too: Grab fresh shrimp from a food truck, or a traditional Hawaiian shave ice in a rainbow of flavors.

Nantucket, MA, is a charmingly whale-shaped island off the coast of Cape Cod, with perfect beaches and temperatures in the 70s all summer long. The island is super pricey, but the Vanessa Noel Hotel, right in historic downtown, has stylish rooms from $170/night.

Assateague Island, which includes portion of Maryland and Virginia, is one of the East Coast's most beautiful beach destinations, with day cruises, kayak tours, fishing, and cycling on tap. Stay just up the road at the Atlantic Hotel in Berlin, MD-America's Coolest Small Town 2014-with rooms from $95/night.

Gulf Shores' balmy breezes and friendly locals make its beach the place to be on warm summer days.

(Dvest/Dreamstime)

Pfeiffer Beach, in Big Sur, CA, is the kind of place that's so beautiful it can change people's lives, often inspiring them to pull up roots and move to Cali for good. Big Sur lodgings are either pricey or minimalist, so we recommend making your base nearby Monterey's Casa Munras, from $147/night.

(Mariusz Jurgielewicz/Dreamstime)

Pfeiffer Beach is known for its distinctive purple sand thanks to quartz and manganese garnet from the nearby hills.